England's Lionesses to roar the loudest
Cameroon reached the knockout stages in the most dramatic fashion to set up a round of 16 tie against England. Which Lionesses are we backing to roar the loudest in this one? Read our preview here:
No problems for England so far
As is often the case with England national teams, they storm through the group stage with relative ease, but it is whether they can continue that form into the knockout stages which tells us more about their real credentials.
Phil Neville’s side topped their group with three wins from three and were the better side in their toughest fixture against Japan in the final game. Neville was pleased with his sides performance and was particularly delighted with the form of Ellie White and Jodie Taylor.
"[White and Jodie Taylor] have scored four goals between them in three games. I love it when my centre-forwards are scoring goals,” he said after the win against Japan.
The will be favourites to get past a Cameroon side that squeezed through to the last 16 but Neville will not let them relapse into the complacent performance they showed in the second half against the Scots.
Cameroon: The Indomitable Lionesses finding their voice
It took a 95th-minute goal from Ajara Nchout to get Cameroon into the knockout stages with a win over New Zealand. They appeared to be heading out after conceding an equaliser with just 10 minutes remaining but Nchout completed her brace deep into stoppage time to take their journey on by at least one game.
They know they will not be expected to beat England but playing without pressure can often be hugely advantageous to some teams.
Their star player is undoubtedly 27-year-old Gaëlle Enganamouit who is an astute operator, but she is ably supplied from midfield by the versatile Raissa Feudjio while Genevieve Ngo Mbeleck protects the defence with intelligent positional play and determination.
Coach Alain Djeumfa is pragmatic with his tactics and will likely try and sit in against England using his sides pace to hit them on the counter. It should be an intriguing encounter.
England vs Cameroon Women’s World Cup betting tip
England know they will be under pressure to perform in this one given they are the overwhelming favourites. Cameroon are dangerous on the break while England have striker bang in form so backing both teams to score at odds of 7/5 is a good way to go here.
